Of course, O'Carroll's creation is far from the first TV show to be mauled by the critics, while simultaneously pulling in record ratings - here's just a few shows that have been loved and loathed in equal measure.

Those manly men (men men) will bow out next year after an incredible 12 seasons - two more than global smash hit Friends - and in its 11 years on screen, the sitcom's ratings-per-season have averaged out at between 10m and 16.5m.

Its charm is apparently lost on some though - the exploits of Charlie Sheen's womaniser were labelled "creepy" and "misogynistic", while his "goofy" replacement Ashton Kutcher also split the critics.

Ricky Gervais might've been a critical darling in the early going, but he's had a rougher ride of late. His sentimental sitcom Derek has come in for a bit of a drubbing, with The Telegraph calling it "mawkish" and The Guardian simply stating: "It's not very smart. Or very funny. Or very good."

Even if you ignore the format's huge international success and consider just its performance on UK television, Big Brother can still be considered a flat-out phenomenon - 15 series across two channels, plus 13 celebrity series and a wealth of further spinoffs.

But while broadcasters and fans just can't get enough, Big Bro has come under fire countless times from both critics and TV watchdogs - slammed for being exploitative and accused of featuring bullying, racism and vote-rigging.

Lee Mack's gag-packed studio sitcom has plenty of admirers, but it's an old-fashioned beast at heart and that's rubbed some people up the wrong way. Radio Times singled it out as "the weak link" in BBC One's Friday night line-up, while The Guardian voiced its hope that the first five series "were just a lengthy warm-up" for the then-imminent sixth.

Back in the '00s, Channel 4's Bo' Selecta! entertained millions, scored two Top 5 hits on the UK singles chart and effectively ended Craig David's music career - all this despite a critical savaging in some quarters.

More recently, star Leigh Francis has done it all over again with his character Keith Lemon. ITV2's spoof panel quiz Celebrity Juice might've been described as "embarrassingly awful" but like it or not, it's a hit.

And a BAFTA-winning hit at that - though tellingly, the YouTube Audience award in 2012 came from the public and not the critics.

Can you think of more shows the critics snub but the public love? Share your thoughts below.